Freddie Sears struck the post and Leon Best and Cole Skuse both had the ball cleared off the line in a frantic final few minutes but Town had to be content with a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at Portman Road. Until the closing stages it had been a close game of few chances but in the end the Blues were unlucky not to claim all three points.

Freddie Sears and Tom Lawrence replaced Kevin Bru and Conor Grant, who both dropped to the bench, in an otherwise unchanged side. Lawrence started in the hole behind Brett Pitman with Sears on the left.

Villa, who made four changes from the side which drew 1-1 at home to Brentford in midweek, were without striker Ross McCormack, due to a knee problem, while fellow frontman Rudy Gestede also missed out.

Right-back Ritchie De Laet was another absentee as he requires a knee operation, while Aly Cissokho dropped to the bench. Nathan Baker, Leandro Bacuna, Jordan Amivi and Jack Grealish all came into the starting line-up.

Villa started on top and in only the second minute Jordan Amavi sent a dangerous ball from the left across the Blues’ six-yard box but no one was on hand to add a touch.

Town’s first chance came in the fourth minute when Pitman hit a shot from outside the area which Villa keeper Pierluigi Gollini palmed behind.

Lawrence took the resultant corner, which dropped on the edge of the six-yard box but fortunately for the visitors not to a Blue shirt.

However, Villa were looking the more dangerous side in the opening minutes and on 12 Jack Grealish cut in from the left and saw his shot blocked.

On 17 Sears felt he should have been awarded a penalty when challenged on the left of the area, then a minute later the former West Ham man struck a shot from just outside the area but too close to Gollini.

The Blues were beginning to get on top, winning a number of corners and throws on the left.

In the 19th minute Pitman flicked a header on to Lawrence, who had found space in the the area, but Baker got across quickly to block the full debutant’s strike.

Six minutes later Lawrence picked the ball up after a spell of head tennis midway inside the Villa half. The Wales international took it on a couple of paces before hitting a powerful shot not too far past Gollini’s left post.

Villa were forced into a change in the 28th minute when Baker suffered a knock and was replaced by former England man Micah Richards with the visitors moving into a back three.

As half-time approached the Midlanders were having most of the ball but without being able to create an opening with too many crosses from the left hit too long.

On 41 Sears was sent away on the right of the Villa area by Lawrence but hit his shot into the side-netting from a tight angle when he ought to have waited for a team-mate and crossed. A minute later, Sears was again found in a similar area but this time looped his cross deep to no one.

With a couple of minutes of scheduled time remaining Pitman did well to dispossess James Chester in the area and win a corner. Following Lawrence’s flag-kick Ward hit a shot which was blocked, then at the other end Grealish shot wide.

After a minute of added time referee Tony Harrington ended what had been an evenly balanced first half.

Both sides had had spells on top but with neither able to force a serious opportunity to take the lead.

Villa, and Grealish in particularly, had looked dangerous around the Blues’ box but similarly Sears and Lawrence had shown their willingness to shoot in the final third.

Sears sent over a cross from the left four minutes after the restart but too long for Ward.

On 52 Lawrence was booked which the referee indicated was for the latest in a succession of fouls.

Four minutes later Ward won a freekick on the right and Lawrence sent over a ball which flicked off a Villa head before reaching Jonathan Douglas, who was unable to divert goalwards.

There was a big scare for the Blues on 57 when Jordan Ayew latched onto Luke Chambers’s weak backpass and rounded the advancing Bialkowski but Webster got back to slide in and brilliantly take the ball away from the striker.

Teddy Bishop replaced Lawrence a minute later with the loanee applauded off warmly after a very promising first appearance for the Blues at Portman Road.

Almost immediately Bishop was involved in a nasty clash of heads with Ashley Westwood and the pair both required lengthy treatment, the Town sub for a nosebleed, before carrying on.

Grealish cut on from the left and hit a shot which Christophe Berra blocked and Jonas Knudsen turned behind on 67, before Cissokho replaced Amavi for the visitors.

Villa were awarded a freekick on the right not far outside the area on 73 after Berra had tripped Ayew. The initial set piece was cleared by Pitman and Town players blocked three subsequent Villa shots at goal.

Soon after, Jonathan Kodjia was yellow-carded as the Blues prepared to take a freekick, presumably for something he said.

In the 80th minute Pitman smashed a 25-yard freekick straight at the wall, then Berra headed Knudsen’s ball in from the left from a subsequent freekick wide at the far post. Villa switched Bacuna for Albert Adomah for the final eight minutes.

A minute later Bishop found himself some space on the Town right and sent a low ball across the area but behind his team-mates, then at the other end Webster, who put in another impressive display at the back, took the ball off Ayew after he had broken into a dangerous area from the left and looked set to shoot.

As the game moved into its final three minutes Luke Varney replaced Pitman and Leon Best was handed his Town debut in place of Bishop.

The former Newcastle man immediately won a freekick not far outside the area from which the Blues almost took the lead. Sears curled a shot which caught the wall and just flew wide before hitting the stanchion.

From the resultant corner the Blues went close again, Best heading powerfully towards goal and Kodjia nodding off the line and over.

Deep in eight minutes of injury time Varney won another freekick in almost the same spot as the one moments earlier. Again Sears took the kick and this time Gollini impressively got across to his right to paw the ball behind for a corner.

From the resultant flag-kick the Blues went close yet again. The ball reached Skuse on the edge of the area on the right and his chip was nodded off the line by Cissokho.

Unbelievably Town went even closer before the whistle. Sears cutting in from the left and hitting a low shot which struck the post.

The unlucky frontman, who is now without a goal in 34 games, sent over a late freekick but too deep and not long afterwards referee Harrington blew his final whistle.

Town had been very unfortunate not to win it in a frantic end in which the ball was cleared off the line twice, Sears had struck the post and had twice gone close from freekicks.

Prior to the final minutes the half had been much the same as the first with neither keeper particularly busy.

Villa, whose best chance was Ayew’s one-on-one, failed to hit a single shot on target in the entire game.

However, in the end the Villans will have been glad to hear the final whistle while Town will have been confident of winning it had the match lasted a few more minutes.

The Blues are now 11th but only two points behind Brentford and Brighton in fifth and sixth.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Webster, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Lawrence (Bishop 58 (Best 87)), Ward, Sears, Pitman (Varney 87). Unused: Gerken, Kenlock, Bru, Grant.

Aston Villa: Gollina, Bacuna (Adomah 82), Elphick (c), Chester, Baker (Richards 28), Amavi (Cissokho 67), Westwood, Jedinak, Grealish, Ayew, Kodjia. Unused: Bunn, Kozak, Hutton, Gardner. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland). Att: 19,249. (Villa: 1,882).

Photo: TWTD

SpiritOfJohn added 17:53 - Sep 17 Definite signs of improvement today. Webster played well and Sears deserved to get a goal. Even Skuse came close at the end with a delightful chip. Good to see MM making some positive subs.
8

Dissboyitfc added 17:55 - Sep 17 why does he wait so long to bring on best/ Varney? MM so boring with his tactics! If we want to get promotion got to win home games!
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pragmatic added 17:55 - Sep 17 Disappointed not to win, but most "real supporters" realise we are a younger/ trying less " hoof ball" team in progress, just hav to be patient sometimes, yes lots of you will mark me down saying patience exhausted etc but that's where I see us at the moment 7 points from top with 36 games to go !!!
3

ShropshireBluenago09 added 17:55 - Sep 17 That was like an away performance, at home!! How can Mick quantify this 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 set up, when clearly we don't have the players to fit this formation. This has been crystal clear for some time now. Unfortunaley, we don't have 2 good enough midfielders to play 4-4-2. This might change when Williams is available. Fact is, at home this is nowhere near good enough and making subs with 5 mins to go and playing good stuff then, in injury time, is just a cop out for Mick who will say…"we could have got something in the end!" Same old MM, Same stubbornness, same tactics = no ambition.

8

Brownie added 17:57 - Sep 17 Lot more positives that negatives. Webster, Lawrence & Knudsen impressed me most. Chambers is struggling for form on top of not being a RB. Should be rested but after 2 clean sheets in a row he won't be. Bit unlucky today but actually felt we are starting to look a bit more exciting. COYB!
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blueboy1981 added 17:59 - Sep 17 ....... lets have some sympathy for Chambers - all too easy to forget that it is NOT his choice to play in the RB position, never has been, and never will be. He knows he will never be a RB - but he will always do his best. the problem lies with a certain person who has had a detrimental effect on Sears too - by treating him just the same. It can, and does ruin players - in more ways than one.

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EssexTractor added 18:01 - Sep 17 Had the whistle blown at about 85 minutes comments may have had a slightly different emphasis, but for the remaining time, including eight extra minutes, our memories our maybe more focused on that time. For then we came out of our shell, we should then have won, we played positive aggressive football, not afraid of the opponents , but believing this Villa are not that brilliant. For yes Villa had loads of possession , but Bart did he make any real saves? Our defenders though generally lacking in distributive talents,blocked and tackled and kept them out. Was it the presence of the late substituiions or that Villa were by then content with a point? Well truth is we saw a true differnce in our style. A pleasing differnce. Individually, Berra was terrific in the air, Webster made no mistakes , Knudsen did OK , Douglas and Skuse blocked and challenged but didn't create, Lawrence showed glimpses of promise, Pitman battled gamely, Ward not really in the game today, Bishop showed we do have a player who passes forward and then moves with the play, Varney and Best harried and caused more alerts than Villa desired, Sears demonstrated particularly at the death what a fine talent he has, and Chambers sadly did more wrong than right. That's a shame because he obviously is a proud club man. Can no one in the club coach him, if not , despite his fist pumping can he really survive for much longer in that position ? On to Leeds

12

EssexTractor added 18:02 - Sep 17 Had the whistle blown at about 85 minutes comments may have had a slightly different emphasis, but for the remaining time, including eight extra minutes, our memories our maybe more focused on that time. For then we came out of our shell, we should then have won, we played positive aggressive football, not afraid of the opponents , but believing this Villa are not that brilliant. For yes Villa had loads of possession , but Bart did he make any real saves? Our defenders though generally lacking in distributive talents,blocked and tackled and kept them out. Was it the presence of the late substituiions or that Villa were by then content with a point? Well truth is we saw a true differnce in our style. A pleasing differnce. Individually, Berra was terrific in the air, Webster made no mistakes , Knudsen did OK , Douglas and Skuse blocked and challenged but didn't create, Lawrence showed glimpses of promise, Pitman battled gamely, Ward not really in the game today, Bishop showed we do have a player who passes forward and then moves with the play, Varney and Best harried and caused more alerts than Villa desired, Sears demonstrated particularly at the death what a fine talent he has, and Chambers sadly did more wrong than right. That's a shame because he obviously is a proud club man. Can no one in the club coach him, if not , despite his fist pumping can he really survive for much longer in that position ? On to Leeds

1

EssexTractor added 18:03 - Sep 17 Apologies for two editions
2

Michael11 added 18:03 - Sep 17 Just to add to my earlier comment. I thought Best looked really lively and hungry when he came on. Brilliant header which was so unlucky not to go in. I also thought Webster was outstanding but I do agree that I don't think we'll ever be successful until Chambers is replaced. Can't question his passion and leadership but I'd prefer a quiet but tidy natural right back all day long.

14

Bert added 18:06 - Sep 17 Good, solid and at times enterprising performance. Great climax to a game played mostly on the ground . MM was tactically astute today and without a proper striker he set the team up to out muscle and out think Villa. Well done Town.
0

hancockingoal added 18:06 - Sep 17 Good battling performance today we deserved to win. Sears and Webster particularly outstanding. Villa just a team of individuals not up to battle for 90+ minutes. Disappointed with Big Micks comments on Radio Suffolk, he seemed happy with a draw! Let's have a 'Del Boy' mentality - he who dare, wins! At least the players showed the desire in the last 10!
6

sidtheswan added 18:07 - Sep 17 MM set up the formation to stop AV playing and he was successful . No point is a bad point . He got what he wanted . Thought Lawrence was excellent and will be a good addition to the squad . We were the better team in the last 10 mins and thought we would nick it but not to be, possibly too little too late. Don't think AV will be up there at the end of the season unless they improve considerably they lacked a cutting edge and Bart had one of his quieter games. Thoughts with TC at this sad time .

7

prebsa added 18:07 - Sep 17 An okay result but I thought the performance was better than some we have had. We started well and Lawrence for me was one of the more promising players. Aston Villa are a decent side and we did well to keep them at bay but I still feel that at home we really should be looking to win any game no matter who it is! Having said that come the end of the game we really threw everyone forward and we're so unlucky not to get a goal I feel we deserved. One final thing is about how terrible Chambers is. I always knew he was poor at football but this season and today especially he has been awful. Anyone who wants to can easily get round the side of him and get crosses in. He is always in a poor position and too far away from his man. Every ball is lumped up the line and he has no ability to pick a man whatsoever. He mad a shocking back pass near the start of the second half which was crying for Villa to score if it wasent for great pressure from Bart and a fantastic tackle from Webster. All in all though more promersing with something to build on. Leeds will be very tough but play the same against Brighton in our next home game and I don't see why we won't get all three points!

6

Taricco_Fan added 18:07 - Sep 17 A dull, dire game, typically negative of McCarthy to line-up 4-5-1 at home against a Villa side that, in my opinion, were not that good. We showed little ambition for 90 minutes, hoofing the ball up to an isolated Pitman (he's a ball-to-feet player) but as soon as we introduced two strikers (Varney and Best) for added-on time we had Villa on the back foot. Football is a simple game. Show a bit of ambition and you're more likely to get rewarded. I don't think McCarthy has it in him to change. Credit to Webster: an excellent display, game-saving. Also credit to Sears who ran tirelessly.

15

StochesStotasBlewe added 18:14 - Sep 17 Lack of any real quality from both teams up until 85 minutes then could have scored 4. Bart didn,t have a shot in anger to save. Webster & Berra were excellent, poor old Chambers looking more uncomfortable every week. Best looked a beast. Time to give him a start.
9

SheptonMalletBlue added 18:16 - Sep 17 Chambers is a terrible RB, slow, positional unawareness, hoofs it at the first chance. Yet, you can guarantee that next Saturday at Leeds he'll be the first player on McCarthy's team sheet. The man that is in charge of our great club is so stubborn & ignorant to the changes required. I wish McCarthy would leave now. The worst manager in our history!!!!!!!
7

jas0999 added 18:22 - Sep 17 Last 8-10 minutes was excellent, but unfortunately the game was 95 minutes long. Villa were very average and despite good build up actually failed to test Bart. We perhaps should have won, but after Tuesday can gave few complaints as we were on that occasion lucky not to lose by two or three. Also, last ten minutes aside, generally a draw was fair. The problem is goal scoring. In the last eight game (all competitions) we have scored once in four and failed to score in the others. So, four goals in eight games. One a penalty. Although we were unfortunate on a couple of occasions, clearly that's not going to be good enough. I find it remarkable we continue to play with Skuse/Douglas as it limits our options. All too defensive for me. Although our defensive record is good, we spend far too much time being negative which is ultimately pretty dull. Webster was excellent today, whilst Sears looks like getting back to his best. Chambers was terrible and a weak link. How much longer will Mick keep picking him? Surely he has to be dropped now. So overall, a disappointing result. Excellent last ten minutes, but few arguments based over the full 95. We can't just rely on ten minutes and need to be more consistent.

13

leahcar88 added 18:23 - Sep 17 I think the negative naive norms should be banned
-16

hancockingoal added 18:24 - Sep 17 Have to disagree SheptonMalletBlue, Roy Keane has that dubious honour!
11

Ipswich58 added 18:27 - Sep 17 Poor Grant Ward, being criticised for covering for the woeful Chambers who now looks utterly shell shocked. Emmanuel has to start, so too Bishop in centre midfield alongside Skuse.Ward and Lawrence wide and Best plus one up front. We are not far away if only MM would show some Ambition. We have the players it's the tactics which are killing
15

yungblue added 18:31 - Sep 17 People need a reality check, reading some of these comments is like we've lost 5-0 to bottom of the league, we've just drew 0-0 with a premier league club, a manager who's won the champions league, missed an 11m player in McCormack, replaced him with a 13m player in kodja, and we should of won, Ipswich Town Football Club is a fantastic team, not individuals. TEAM! They play well together for each, throwing their bodies in front of the ball etc. We don't spend massive cash, not even £2m in McMarthys tenor, but we've only lost twice this season, unbeaten at home, a very good start in my eyes. The sooner the fans starting really backing the 11 out there instead of moaning, the better.

-1

Taricco_Fan added 18:34 - Sep 17 Agreed Ipswich 58. We have the options to play a more attacking, creative style of football. The unbreakable Skuse-Douglas partnership and the reluctance to drop Chambers is stunting our potential. These three must have dirt on McCarthy. I can't think of any other reasonable explanation.
11

NoelTheDub added 18:38 - Sep 17 Set out for a draw and go what the manager wanted end of what annoys me is why not try to win from the start and not with 5min to go.We clearly need 2 up top and Best has a bit about him to cause problems also cant wait to see Williams in the middle with Laurence and Ward wide.I believe Chambers would be ok if we could hold on to the ball longer or offer more danger in the opponents final third.We will frustrate the life out of team and that is the only way our results are going to come as it stands at this time.This is a bonkers league once again and I do believe if we have balance a bit of creativity and young pace we can do better but we all know whats stopping that.

6

therein61 added 18:39 - Sep 17 Take away the visiting fans and we are left with just scraping 17,000 for what should be an attractive fixture, very very alarming.
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